I’d like to take some time here and introduce you all to my team a little more!
We are a unique group with such different personalities that one might wonder how we function as a team together… YET the Lord is SO sovereign, and we have grown so close through the amazing and difficult things we have walked through together thus far.
Together we are a family, sisters in family of God. Though we are so different, Jesus is the common thread that has woven our hearts together. It’s so weird to think that outside of the Race, I almost certainly wouldn’t have met these wonderful women, and I wouldn’t be all the better from learning MYRIADS from them as we have lived together these 4 months.
I’ll introduce each amazing member of my team so you can truly appreciate the beautiful parts that make up the whole 🙂
Jordan:
(that time we ALMOST crashed a wedding and took photos outside of the glamour shots of the married couple…)
from: Dallas, TX.
Likes- fitness, dried kiwi, FUN
Dislikes- when establishments overseas don’t take card as a form of payment.. hahah.. when baby goats ram into her leg whilst trying to find tuktuks for the team, live trumpets at 5 am
Jordan brings such strength, truth, and wisdom to our team. She is very logical, and she is such a problem solver. She thrives in fast-paced environments and has helped us tackle many a sticky situation. Jordan’s walk with the Lord is so honest, as she is honest with where she is with Him. Her pursuit of Him is so devoted no matter what the circumstances are. She knows who her Savior is, and she is so after knowing Him more and more. Jordan is such an influencer, and she has the courage to speak the truth in love because she cares about our growth in the Lord more than ensuring she is well-liked. In this, she has embraced giving us all feedback and challenging us to be the women she knows the Lord has called us to be. She is also a hostess to the core, ensuring people feel welcomed and are enjoying themselves and enjoying life in general. J, thank you for kicking my butt and being my personal trainer and for cracking me up always! You are the life of the party, and you keep our team from drowning in the abstract depth that can consume us on the Race as we’re learning and processing so much. Thank you for saying hard things that we all needed to hear but being committed to walking with us through those things.
Rachel:
(Rachel is the one directly to the left of my face.. she is compact and sat on our laps during many tuktuk rides..)
from: Chattanooga, TN
Likes- the VOLS!!! GBO!.. all the children of the world, real coffee (not chai or fake coffee), time for herself to recharge
Dislikes: our teammate Klancy. HAHAH. (kidding!!!… they’re just polar opposites. But they love each other. Promise!), last minute plans, any discussion of boldly functions at the dinner table
Rachel is an anchor of sorts within our team. She is so level-headed and very calm in situations that otherwise might cause freak-outs in some of the rest of us. She has been our faithful, hardworking treasurer for the past 4 months, keeping track of our budget, dispersing our food budget money, and doing a LOT of receipting and expense reports. For this, we thank youuuuu, Rach! Rachel isn’t one to talk incessantly, and when she has something to say, it is very wise and insightful. She is a trooper and one to always push through and have a positive outlook on any situation we’re thrown into. She gives glory to God when things are hard and when things are going well. Thank you, Rachel, for your vulnerability ALWAYS and for knowing your voice is important. You have said good and hard things to help push our team closer together or help remind us of why we’re even here. You are loyal us and loyal to the Lord in surrendering your whole life to him.
Meg:
from: Yardley, PA
Likes- country music, Thanksgiving dinner (her fav holiday), turtles, the color yellow and orange, physical touch
Dislikes- mac & cheese for Thanksgiving, Justin Bieber, winter
Meg is the embodiment of a servant-heart. She doesn’t think twice about giving her time or resources away to make sure we are well taken care of. She’ll buy your coffee at random, listen to you process for hours, and will carry two of the four bags you’re trying to lug around, even if she has 4 other bags to carry of her own. She quite literally will take on your burdens physically like this and emotionally. Meg cares so DEEPLY for us and is such a pursuer of people that we ourselves have had to ensure we’re pursuing her to the degree which she is seeking to invest in relationship with us. She is passionate, high energy, and a gifted teacher, whether it’s the ABC’s or my swim lessons she gave me here in Cambodia. Meg seeks the Lord not for what she can receive from Him but to truly know who she says she is serving, and that is an inspiration to us all.
Klancy:
from: (she would say all over…) currently- Tyler, TX
Likes- depth, asking questions, dancing to Bruno Mars, chugging beverages, making friends with strangers all over the world
Dislikes- unresolved conflict, time frames
Klancy (aka Klance, Klancy Pants, Dancey Klancy, Baby Klance, Fateesha) is a bold, caring, lover of people and of Jesus. This young woman (only 21..) is SO WISE beyond her years, and she lives in a way that challenges anyone at any age to follow Jesus more whole heartedly. She has never met a stranger and makes it a point to notice those around her, if that’s to tell a woman she is beautiful or share the Gospel or pray for anyone she feels led to. Klancy challenges all of us to walk in what it looks like to be led by the Spirit and live boldly outside our comfort zones. She thinks and loves and lives so deeply, yet she has a lightness and childlike sense about her. Klancy is SO fun and will make you fall out of your chair laughing with her quirkiness and off-the-wall comments. There’s never a dull moment with this one, and we are so thankful for the lightness and laughter she added to our team!
Janet:
from: Orlando, FL
Likes- loving on childrens, knowing the details of the lives of those she cares about, putting her hand in my hand, playing card games and games of any kind, Gossip Girl
Dislikes- onions (she is highly allergic..), dancing like a loon when the rest of us do
Janet is a LOVER! She, despite her story that is one without much of a context of love, really SEES people and cares about them in the smallest of details. She will remember your birthday, your favorite color, and your favorite snack only to surprise you and bless you with little gifts or notes later on. Jan has been our “mama” in so many ways, and yet she is willing to learn so much from us as well.In her pursuit of us as her teammates and sisters, she has reminded us all what it truly means to give love whether you receive it in return or not. Jan has walked through SUCH amazing freedom even in 4 short months, and she is barely the same woman we all met at Training Camp 6 months ago. Her daily life is a testament to discipline, seeing others, and wanting others to be loved right where they are. Her wisdom is so great, and she has a great listening ear. Jan, thank you for choosing into our team and being so humble as you are the oldest of our squad. We appreciate your understanding that you don’t need to prove yourself in wisdom or strength or leadership because you walk in it already!
An ode to my team:
Thank you for LOVING me in my moments of stress and moments of vulnerable heart-ugliness, for walking with me through feeling daunted and a little intimidated that I was chosen to lead you on this team comprised mostly of women who who are older and wiser… Thank you for giving me the permission to lead you and speak truth and hard things to you. Your humility challenges me to realize I can learn from anyone in any situation. Thank you for loving me in all my quirkiness and the times I want you to “clink” my french fries with yours, the times my alarm was blaring in the morning (sometimes for hours..) because I was too dead asleep to hear it or turn it off, or the times I needed you to take a photo for me because my phone was dead or without storage.
You are a beautiful bunch of women full of grace and committed to raw community. I am so privileged that I got to walk through my first 4 months of the Race with you. I have been blown away at the growth I have seen in each one of you. The Lord has pruned you and chiseled you and stripped things from you, and it has been a painful and uncomfortable experience. But just LOOK at His grace for you in it all and LOOK at the freedom and healing and intimacy you are walking in with Him! And He has so much more planned for you ahead. We might be on another team together in the future, and we might not, but either way I pray the Lord continues to surprise you and keep you in a place of awe with His goodness lavished on you! If you all choose your teammates later on in the same way that I feel I have been chosen and loved by you, your community will continue to be strong and so well knit together.
Seriously, I LOVE YOU, and I can’t wait to watch where the Lord leads each of you down the road!
Some captured GREAT memories with my lovely ladies:
(month 1: Indian weirdos)
(month 1: our team girl-band photo)
(month 3: after seeing Beauty in the Beast)
(month 4: TEAM TIME!)
(month 4: the night of our team “last supper”)
-4/29/17-
Friends, pray that my team and I continue to be there for each other and maintain these sweet friendships we’ve built with one another, even after upcoming team changes.
They’ve taken good care of your girl while she’s been away! 🙂
